Automobile starting device.



E. R. BRODTON. AUTOMOBILE STARTING. DEVICE.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT.26, 1911.

rmamma Apr. 23, 1912.

SSES wn Cwt EDWARD R. BRODTON WJTNE @cem `which causes the back kick,and thus to UNITED sTATEs f irme.

EDWARD R. BRODTON, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0JOSEPH A. GARTLAND, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, vAND ONE-FOURTH TO B. M.STEPHENS. OF HACKETTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMOBILE STARTING DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Application filed September 26, 1911. Serial No. 651,404.

To all fwzom 'it may concern:

Be it. known that I, EDWARD R. BRoDToN, a citizen of the United States.residing at Boston. county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts. haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile StartingDevices. ofrivliich the following is a specilieation. reference beinghad therein to the ac eompanying drawing.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and has specialreference to a starting device for engines of this description. I

1t. is a well-known fact thatv various attempts have been made toeliminate the danger caused by back kicks during the cranking of theengine. These attempts have heretofore been confined to `preventing thebrufkivard rotation of the crank handle.

'The principal object of the present invention to prevent prematureexplosion eliminate such back kick when caused by premature sparking.This object is attained by means of certain 'improved mechanismconnected with the cranking device for advancing and retarding the sparkat the spark'] lug so that While the engine is being cranked the sparkWill take place only when the engine crank has passed the upper deadcenter and the piston begun to descend.

lVith the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafterapparent. the inven tion consists in general of certain novelarrangements of parts and combinations of details, hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specilicallyset forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and Figure 1 is a view` partly diagrammaticand partly in outline showing the arrangement used for advancing andretarding the spark. -Fig 2,is a section on the line 2-2, in detail ofthe mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevationof a portion of the apparatus shown diagrammatieally in Fig. l, saidligure being shown in its relation to Fig. 1

for the device.

The numeral 10 indicates a portion of the frame of an automobile orother like device forming a support for a gas engine wherein a crankshaft is provided as at 11. Upon the end of the crank shaft 11 whichprojects forwardly from the engine proper there is provided a clutchmember 12. Forward of this crank shaft there is mounted on the frame 10a casing 13 which containscertain safety mechanism not deemed necessaryhere to be' described. Through this casing extends a slidable androtatable shaft 14 adapted to receive a suitable handle for the purposeof rotating the same, the latter not being deemed necessary here to bedisclosed. On the rear end Iof the shaft 14 is a. clutch member 15adapted for engagement With the clutch member 12. All of these parts arehere shoyvn diagrammatically in dotted lines, that is the specificconstruction of these parts forms no part of the present invention andare fully described in my copending application for patent on automobilecranking device, fled August 7th, 1911, and bearing the Serial No.642,640.

In order to insure the explosion taking place in the cylinders at thethe proper point inl the revolution to drive the engine in a purpose ofbetter illustrating the 'forward direction and to prevent explosionsprior to the crank having passed beyond the upper dead center, thepresent apparatus has been devised. This apparatus employs the usualbattery 16 and magneto 17. This battery 16 and magneto 17 each havingone pole grounded as indicated at 18, and the other poles of the batteryand magneto are connected by Wires 19 to a two pole switch 20 which inturn connects with the spark coils 21 by means of a wire 22. At 23 isindicated a timer of the usual construction which is connected to thespark coils 21 by means of the Wires 24, and these spark coils are alsoconnected to the spark plugs 25 by means of wires 26. These parts areall of the. ordinary construction now employed and the arrangement. isthe same as that common to all automobiles. On this 'achas been shown inheavy lines.

count the parts have been shown in light full lines while the improvedarrangement In the improved arrangement there is employed .an additionaltimer 27 which is connected with the wires 24 by means of wires 28. Theother pole of this 'timer is connected by means of a wire 29 to a sprincontact member 30 carried on a block o insulation 31, which is in turnmounted on a bracket 32 preferably secured to the casin 13. This bracket32 is also provided wit a second spring contact member 33 against whichthe member 30 is adapted to be forced for the purpose of grounding thetimerv27 .through the frame of the machine. its remaining pole connectedby a wire 34 to a spring contact member 35 which is carried on a blockof insu1ation'36 mounted on the casing 13.4 This spring contact member35 is arranged for contact with a spring contact member 37 carried onthe casing 13.

Upon the .shaft 14 is mounted a collar 38.

provided with a ange 39 which is adapted to contact with the members 37and 30, respectively, according as the shaft 14 is in its forward orrearposition. The timer 27 is so arranged that. the spark passes during thedown stroke of the-piston in the engine and the timerl23 is in normalposition with reference to the motion of the piston inthe cylinder.

v It will be seen thatwhen the clutch members are disengaged, the timer23 will be rendered operative by reason of the grounding of the wire 34since the iange 39. will close the contact between the members 35 and37. It will also be seen that when the clutch is thrown in the members30 and 33 will be brought together while the members 35 and 37 willspring apart. Thus the timer 23 will be rendered inoperative while thetimer 27 will be cut in and rendered operative by the grounding of thewire 29. By means of this arrangement it is impossible for the explosionto take place at such time that the tendency will be to reverse theengine, that is to say on the upstroke of the piston. The ossibility ofback kicks is thus eliminate to the greatest possible extent, as thiscan only occur by reason of incandescent carbon deposits on the insideof the cylinder, which is a matter of rare occurrence although it doeshappen that at long intervals this incandescent carbon will causeexplosions. However, a clutch arrangement of any desired ty e may beused .to prevent injurious effects rom even these rare explosions. y

Provision is also made to mechanically render the timer 27 inoperativeand this mechanical means is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. Upon theshaft 14 is a collar 39 and from this collar lextends an arm 40 Thetimer 23 has' shaft and which vis provided with t-he contact points 46.The construction of this 'timer is not deemed necessary to bespeciically shown since any form may be used in which one member rotateswith the timer shaft and the other remains stationary. In any event themovable member is provided with a shipper groove 47 wherein are heldshipperpins 48 of a shipper fork 49 formed upon the end of the bar 41.By means of this arrangement as the clutch members are brought togetherthe movable timer member will in like manner be brought into opy erativeposit-ion.with relationto the fixed timerv member so that the timer 27is controlled both mechanically and electrically.

4 There has thus been provided a simple and eiicient device of the kinddescribed and for the purpose specified.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, is

1. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of timers, `a crankingdevice, and means controlled by said cranking device to render either ofsaid timers operative.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a normally active timer, a normallyinactive timer, a cranking device, and means controlled by said crankingdevice .for rendering 'the normally active timer inactive and thenormally inactive timer active.

3. In an internal combustion engine starter, a clutch device comprisinga plurality of members, a sparking device -including'a normally o encircuit closer carried by one member o th'e clutch, and. means to closesaid circuit closer carried by another member of the clutch. 4

4. In an internal combustion -engine starter, a clutch device includinga movable operating member, a sparking device including a normallyactive timer mechanism, and a normally inactive timer mechanism, each ofsaid timer mechanisms includin a circuit closer, and means on said'operatlng member for selectively closing either of said circuitclosers.

5. In an' linternal combustion engine, a normally inactivetimerincluding -a xed portion and a revolving portion, al crankingdevice, and means movable bythe cranking.

device for moving one timer portion to and from the other portion.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a normally active timer, a normallyinactive timer including a fixed portion and a re- In testimony WhereolI hereunto aiix my volving portion, a cranking device, means signaturein presence of two Witnesses. operable by the movement fof the cran-kingEDWARD R BRODTON device for grounding said timers selectively, y andother means operatively vconnect-ing the Witnesses:

vmovable timer element of the normally ae- C. A. BAKER,

tive timer with the erankdevice. GUsTAvUs W. MCCUEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtied for ve cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents:

K. Washington, D. C.y

